Cigarette container



m R: W m m m m 2 1M 4 W m A M FINKEL CIGARETTE CONTAINER Filed March 9, 1950 March 3, 1953 Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE 1 Claim. (01. ZOE-41) This invention relates to and ha for an object the provision of a simple, economical dispensable container particularly but not solely adapted to hold cigarettes and which is at least semi-rigid as to prevent crushing of an inserted package or its contents and consequent deformation of the content and yet affords ready accessibility to the contents.

It is well known that cigarettes are sold in packages of standard size for all brands, with few exceptions, and are packed with an inner paper wrapping of metal foil, a paper covering over the foil and a sealed outer wrapping of thin plastic material. Hence four separate wrappings must be opened to afford access to the contents of the package.

It i an object of my invention to provide a container formed of separable relatively stifi extruded plastic members which detachably nest together to form a compartment of appropriate size and form for accommodating a. plurality of identical articles, as for instance, the usual twenty cigarettes, and capable alone of sealing the contents or by additional sealing, as by means of paper or plastic outer wrapping bearing the brand name and other information.

Another object is to provide the separate members of the container of such form that they may be cut from continuous or lengthy extruded strips of desired cross sectional form so as to facilitate. expedite and economize in the labor cost thereof in order that each unit may be produced at a minimum cost which will justify discard ng used containers when their contents are exhausted.

A further ob ect is to provide means at the contacting lines or po n s of the separable members for inter ocking the members against unintentional se aration.

A still further ob ect is to so for one portion of one of the mem ers of the container that a portion may be d tac ed for affordin access to the interior of the conta ner to permit withdra al therethrough of selected contents.

Other and more detailed objects may appear as the description progresses.

I have sho n a preferred form of container embodying m invention in the accom anying drawin sub ect to modification, within the scope of the ap ended claim, without departing from the sp rit of the invention.

In t e drawing:

Fig. l i a er pecti e view of a portion of an extruded or ot er ise forr ed strip of material adapted to be cut into sections of uniform length to provide a plurality of bases for containers;

Fig. 1a is a'fragmentary end view of one side of a container member showing a cut out portion for receiving an end of the member C.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of a strip of like material adapted to be cut into similar sections to provide complementary closure for the bases of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section in elevation of a complete assembled container unit including the base and closure elements of Figs. 1 and 2, respectively; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a container unit on line 44 of Fig. 3, and partly broken away.

In major respect a container embodying my improvements includes only a base B and a closure C, both of which are of U cross section and preferably, but not necessarily, capable or being cut from extruded, stamped or molded strips 5 and 5', respectively, so that all like members will be of similar cross sectional form and dimension.

Each base B has spaced sides i, i, which are joined at corresponding margins by a bottom section 2 and at their upper edges are provided with outwardly flared portions 3, 3 below which are longitudinal grooves 44 between longitudinal beads 3a and so on th inner surfaces of sides I and open at o posite ends of the base.

Closure C has spaced vertical ends 5, 5 with a connecting top section 5 arranged and of such size that the top 6 will close the top space I between sides I, I of base B and ends 5 will close the open end spaces 8 bet een sides I, l. The sides of base B are sufiiciently yieldable to perm t the forcing of the top 6 downwardly between the sides and into seating enga ement with grooves 4. 4, by means of which the closure is he d on the base a ainst accidental displacement. In order that the outer surfaces of ends 5. 5 may be flush with the edge la of sides I, I pro ide recesses 9. 9 cut in the beads 3'1. and 3b which are of a depth corres onding to the thickness of the mater al of closure C and provide for insertion of t e ends 5, 5 downwardly into the c annels of member B. One of the ends 5 of closure C is scored longitudina ly at it! at a distance from the lower face ends of the end so that a portion 5a may be broken off to permit of access to the interior of the container without removing the clos re.

Hence. a container embodying the aforesaid characteristics is particularly adapted for containing sealed quantities of cigarettes from factory to consumer, and yet serves as a case for carrying the cigarettes on one person without possibility of damage to or impairment of the cigarettes. The base B and closure C being of extremely light weight plastic material transparent, translucent or opaque, and infrangible as well as semi-rigid is just as conveniently carried in a pocket or purse as conventionally packed and wrapped paper packages. Also containers of my invention offer free access to and for removal of its contents by merely removing the short sections 5a from ends 5, whereby a cigarette or other article may be discharged from the container by slightly shaking the package, or otherwise.

The material of which the container is made is extremely inexpensive and justifies discarding the complete case after the contents are exhausted. Conventional or special brand names, legends, characters, etc. may be printed directly on the sides I, ends 5, top 6 and bottom 2, or the container as shown may be covered with printed wrappings and sealed as usual on paper cigarette packages.

The essence of this invention is in the low cost, semi-rigid base B and closure C combining to provide an original packet and a dispensable carrying case for cigarettes and other articles, arranged to hold the contents against impairment when carried on a person and to afford ready access to and for removing the contents, piece by piece, without impairment of the case.

The material of which the members B and C are formed could be thin sheet metal but is preferably a transparent sheet plastic material partaking of the characteristics of Celluloid or of other resins which have a modicum of inherent tension and stiffeners to an extent that the sides I, I of member 13 will slightly spread apart when the webs Ii are inserted in the grooves 4, 4 and to retain member C on member B with web 6 between the internal beads 3a and 3b and the ends 5, 5 either abutting the sides I, l or the ends of the inserted articles or package therefor.

Iclaim:

A dispensable original cigarette container comprising: a channelled base having spaced side walls, and a channelled closure having spaced end walls alternating with the walls of the base and adapted to lockingly engage the base, whereby to enclose a plurality of cigarettes, said base and closure each formed of transparent plastic material and mean on one of said end walls for affording access to and removing selected cigarettes without detaching the closure, said looking means including a pair of beads extending longitudinally of and near the upper edges of the sides of the base forming intermediate grooves for lockably receiving the web of the closure to prevent unintentional detachment of the closure, the beads on said base terminating slightly inwardly of the opposite ends of the sides of said base to permit insertion of the ends of said closure between the sides of the base.

ABRAHAM M. FINKEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 488,999 Graham Jan. 3, 1893 580,080 Borlinghaus Apr. 6, 1897 1,860,833 Clayton May 31, 1932 1,875,699 Brady Sept. 6, 1932 1,909,136 Thomas May 16, 1933 2,105,424 Kahn Jan. 11, 1938 2,441,857 Waterman May 18, 1948 2,133,651 Baker Oct. 18, 1938 2,144,523 Brown Jan. 17, 1939 2,316,384 Abramson Apr. 13, 1943 2,481,302 Fogel Sept. 6, 1949 2,490,779 Butcher Dec. 13, 1949 2,504,850 Lermer Apr. 18, 1950 

